The Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra's (MDSO) 2016-17 performance season will wrap up with a masterworks concert on Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Kirkland Fine Arts Center.
Entitled "Symphonic Revolutionaries," the concert features performances of Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 3," Rautavaara's "Cantus Arcticus" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3."
Silvan Negruţiu, assistant professor of piano and coordinator of keyboard studies at Millikin, joins the orchestra for Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 3," a dynamic work rich in turbulent emotions that confronts the established standards and challenges the capabilities of the instruments.
The concert will include intricate symphony compositions with the free-flowing music associated with sounds typically heard outdoors. Prerecorded bird sounds will be mixed with the sounds of the instruments.
In an interview with the Herald & Review, Dr. Sergey Bogza, music director and conductor of the MDSO, said, "It is music mixed with technology. Like being in two places at once. Some of the sounds are supposed to be imitated by the musicians. It goes further to meld the music and nature."
Internationally acclaimed pianist Silvan Negruţiu has performed concerts around the world, from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to Ireland's National Concert Hall, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He's appeared as a soloist with prestigious orchestras including the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Alicante Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic and Dublin Symphony Orchestra.
Negruţiu has been a frequent attendee and performer at international music festivals such as the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at the Mannes College of Music in New York, and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.
Concluding his first year as conductor, Dr. Bogza has wanted to provide audiences with familiar works as well as something new. He is putting the finishing touches on what's to come next season for the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra. Repertoire, guest artists, major collaborations and surprising additions to the season will all be revealed during the concert.
"My hope was to create a season that has something for everyone," said Dr. Bogza. Collaboration will be the hallmark of the 2017-18 season.